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Marian Anderson was born on February 27, 1897 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her parents were African American Christians. All the Anderson family went to the Union Baptist Church in South Philadelphia. She first sang in public when she was six years old. Anderson went to Stanton Grammar School. Her family could not afford to send her to high school. They did not have enough money to pay for music lessons either. Until she was sixteen Anderson taught herself to play the piano and violin. The pastor of Anderson's church and other leaders of the black community raised money for Anderson to go to high school and have music lessons. After high school, Marian applied to an all-white music school, the Philadelphia Music Academy. She was rejected for being black. In 1925, when she was 23 years old, Anderson won a singing competition.

In 1930 Anderson performed in Europe for the first time at Wigmore Hall in London. She liked Europe because people were less racist to her there than in the United States. 1935 Anderson did a concert at the White House. There she met Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of Franklin Roosevelt. Eleanor Roosevelt and Anderson were friends for the rest of Roosevelt's life.[1]

In 1943 Anderson was given the $10,000 Bok Prize by the city of Philadelphia. She sung at the Constitution Hall.

On January 7, 1955, she became the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House.[3] In 1956 she performed there again. In 1957 Anderson's autobiography, My Lord, What a Morning, was published. That year Anderson also toured India as an ambassador for the United States.

In 1964 Anderson started her last tour. The tour began in the Constitution Hall. Anderson gave her last concert of the tour and her career in 1965 at Carnegie Hall.[4]